University Challenge 2022-23: Qualification Quarter-Final 1: Durham vs Royal Holloway

Good evening again friends, and welcome back to Quizzy Mondays! Tonight, we began the second phase of the UC quarter-final process and, after last year's slight mixing up of the order of the games, its back to usual this year as we start with the first qualifier. Tonight's match would've probably looked like a foregone conclusion going into the QFs, but, after the two teams' respective showings in the prelims, maybe not so much now. Winners would take the first place in the semis.

Durham had a close win over fellow quarter-finalists Bristol in the first round, then a very easy win over Bangor in the second, before their first quarter-final was another close one, as they just triumphed over Southampton 165-135. They were the same unchanged foursome as before:

Harry Scully, from Welwyn Garden City, studying Physics and Chemistry

Chloe Margaux, from Haringey in London, studying Sociology

Captain: Alex Radcliffe, from Edinburgh, studying Maths

Bea Bennett, from Icomb in Gloucestershire, studying English

 

Royal Holloway started the QFs as outsiders after two low scoring wins over Cranfield in the first round and St Andrews in the second, but a convincing 170-85 win over Robert Gordon in their first QF showed them to not be a team to be written-off at all. They were also the same unchanged quartet as before:

Joel Abramovich, from Highgate in London, studying Biology

Joanna Brown, from North London, studying Creative Writing

Captain: George Harvey, from Dunmow in Essex, studying Physics

Micka Clayton, from South Africa, studying Music and Neuropsychology

 

So, off we set once again then, and it was Mr Scully who took the first starter of the game, with two bonuses on Martha Gellhorn getting Durham off the mark. Mr Scully took the second starter as well, with just one bonus on the 1450s following this time; he tried for a third, but was wrong this time, allowing Royal Holloway's MVP Ms Brown to get her team off the mark, with a single bonus going to them as well. The first picture round, on scores for leitmotifs from Peter and the Wolf (which provided a crossover with today's Counterpoint!), went to Durham; a full set left their lead at 55-15.

It duly increased as Royal Holloway lost five (to a 'just an' interruption) and Mr Radcliffe swooped, though just one bonus followed again. Two penalties then dropped the Wearsiders further back though, but their opponents couldn't take advantage of either; one of these saw both teams buzz far too early before the full question, which would've gone in a totally different direction, could be asked. (I can almost hear William G. Stewart proclaiming "That wasn't going to be the question!") A third starter was dropped before Durham finally got some positive points on the board again, with another single bonus following. Ms Brown got Royal Holloway going again with a second starter, but they got nothing from a tough bonus set on magnetism. The music round, on songs from films that became stage shows and then became films again, went to Durham; two bonuses took their lead to 95-20.

Another penalty dropped them another five though, though Royal Holloway couldn't take advantage again. Mr Harvey gave them further points though as he (and I) knew Hampshire to be the middle county of those with coasts on the Channel; bonuses on Assassin's Creed video games provided the Londoners with two correct answers. Mr Harvey then proceded to take a second starter in a row, and then a third as well; one bonus from the first set and two from the second meant they had suddenly caught back up again. The second picture round, on pairs of authors with shared middle initials, went to Durham though, taking them into three figures; one bonus meant they now led 105-75.

Yet another penalty (from another 'just an' interruption, so both teams incurred one each, no harm done then) dropped Durham further back though; Mr Harvey duly tapped into an empty net, and two bonuses meant they were suddenly just five behind. And Mr Abramovich's answer of 'actin' then gave them the lead with not much time left, it might be enough if they could get the bonuses; just one meant it was now a one-starter shootout though. Ms Brown duly did the honours, thus confirming their win, and there was time for one bonus before the gong. Royal Holloway won 125-100.

Another low scoring, but exciting contest, well done both teams there. Very well done Royal Holloway, another low scoring win, but they deserved it in the end and are worthy semi-finalsists; best of luck there! Hard lines to Durham, who were a tad unlucky on the buzzer a few times there, but are certainly not out of the running at all yet; best of luck to them in the play-offs!

The stats: Mr Harvey was the best buzzer of the night with four starters, while Mr Radcliffe was best for Durham with three. On the bonuses, Durham managed 11 out of 21 (with a costly FIVE penalties) and Royal Holloway 10 out of 22 (with one penalty).

Next week's match: Southampton vs Robert Gordon in the first eliminator

Mastermind’s third semi-final was a very close game indeed, with all four players separated just three points; James Davidson won with 20 points to take the third place in the final, with Alison Rose second with 19, Darren Ross third with 18 and Sam Swift fourth with 17.

 

Counterpoint’s third and final semi was also a very close affair, with Sally Wilson beating Diane Hallagan by just two points, with Charles Dusting coming third, to take the final place in next week’s final.

University Challenge 2022-23: Preliminary Quarter-Final 4: Jesus vs U.C.L.

Good evening again friends, and welcome back to now slightly shorter Quizzy Mondays! With OC done now, we're down to just Mastermind, which is nearly finished now too, and UC, which, thanks to the later than usual start, still has a fair way to go yet. Tonight, the last two quarter-finalists enetered the phase; winners join Durham, Royal Holloway and Bristol in the qualifiers, runners-up up would join Southampton, Robert Gordon and Newnham in the eliminators.

 

Jesus College Cambridge were comfortably winners over two Oxford teams in their first two matches, firstly St Catharine's in the first round 225-105 in the first round, and then University College 160-85 in the second. They were unchanged from those previous games:

Josh Kaye, from North West London, studying Maths

Juliet Tindall, from Birmingham, studying Spanish and Portuguese

Captain: Hamish MacGregor, from Cambridge, studying Cancer Genetic Epidemiology

Sumit Aggarwal, from London, studying Engineering

U.C.L., in contrast, have had two very close wins so far, firstly beating Sheffield on a tie-breaker after a 170-each draw in the first round, and then in the second, they edged past Newcastle 180-170 on the last starter of the game. They were also the same quartet as before:

Rachel Collier, from West London, studying the History of Ancient Greek

Michael Fleetwood-Walker, from the West Midlands, studying Urban Studies

Captain: James Salmon, from Bristol, studying Planetary Science

Louis Collier, from London, studying Physics with Maths

 

So, off we set once again, and an immediate penalty from U.C.L. allowed Jesus to take the first starter of the game; bonuses on Sweyn Forkbeard provided the Cambridge side with two correct answers. The Londoners quickly bounced back though as Mr Salmon took the next two starters, and two bonuses from each set gave them the lead. The first picture starter was missed by both teams; the bonuses, on locations of large favelas in Brazil, went to U.C.L., who took one correct bonus this time, which took their lead to 50-20.

Another penalty allowed Jesus a way back into the game though, with a single bonus reducing the gap back down to ten. But Ms Collier took the next starter to increase the lead again, which gave U.C.L. a classic UC set on pairs of words differing only in the first letter being the next one along in the alphabet, which they took another pair of. Mr Salmon took another starter, with many more to come, and bonuses on East African geography provided them with a full set. The music round, on classical pieces that precede storms, went to Jesus; just one bonus meant they now trailed 90-50.

Mr Salmon moved his side into three figures by identifying Dortmund for the next starter, and providing a crossover with tonight's Mastermind! Another two bonuses went the London side's way, before Mr Aggarwal gave Jesus further points, which was followed up by just the one bonus. U.C.L. then lost another five, but this time Jesus were unable to take advantage; the impressive Mr Salmon recouped those points as he took the next starter, which was also followed by just one bonus. The London side also took the second picture round, on paintings critiqued by Vernon Lee; two bonuses took their lead to 140-65.

Jesus would need to run the game from now on to stand a chance of catching up; Mr Kaye helped by taking the next starter, but no bonuses from the resulting set didn't exactly help their chances. Mr MacGregor taking the next starter did, as did two bonuses on books whose titles begin 'A Brief History of'. But Mr Salmon took yet another starter next, which was followed by two bonuses on backgammon, which pretty much finished the match as a contest. Jesus deservedly reached three figures as Mr Kaye took the next starter, but no bonuses went with it. There was time three more starters; Mr Fleetwood-Walker and the imperious Mr Salmon took two of them for U.C.L., and it didn't really matter that just one of the resulting bonuses went with them. Mr MacGregor took the last starter of the game, but there was no time for bonuses; at the gong, U.C.L. won 185-115.

Another enjoyable contest even if it was a rather comfortable one throughout. Well done to U.C.L., another very solid showing, and against proven opponents too; best of luck in the qualifiers! Hard lines to Jesus, who were simply outbuzzed there, but they certainly aren't out of contention yet; best of luck in the eliminators!

The stats: Mr Salmon was by far and away the best buzzer of the night with NINE(!) starters, while Mr MacGregor was best for Jesus with three. On the bonuses, Jesus managed 7 out of 21 and U.C.L. 18 out of 33 (with three penalties).

Next week's match: I am informed it is Durham vs Royal Holloway in the first qualifier

Mastermind’s second semi-final was won by Stephen Finn, who led after the specialist rounds, and ended up comfortable winner after the GK round with 23 points, five ahead of second placed Blake Robinson. Anna Milford Goldstein (whose passing was sadly announced at the end of the show) and Colin Rogers-March completed the line-up with 14 and 16.

 

Counterpoint’s second semi-final was won by Kathryn Johnson, who won out ahead of Jo East and Shanine Salmon to take the second place in the final in two weeks’ time.

University Challenge 2022-23: Preliminary Quarter-Final 3: Newnham vs Bristol

Good evening again friends, and welcome back to Quizzy Mondays! For the last time this season, we have a full Monday night line-up, tonight of course being the final of this year's OC. More on that later, but as for tonight's UC, both teams competing tonight lost their first round match and survived via, what even Paxo is now calling, the repechage; winners would join Durham and Royal Holloway in the qualifiers, runners-up would join Southampton and Robert Gordon in the eliminators.

Newnham College Cambridge were narrowly beaten 175-160 by the Courtauld Institite in their first match, but a 175-110 play-off win over Sheffield and a second round win over Cardiff on a tie-breaker after a 140-each dead heat has seen them through. They were unchanged from those previous games: 

Bethan Holloway-Strong, from Surrey and Australia, studying English

Hannah Bowen, from Gateshead, studying German, Russian and Polish

Captain: Roma Ellis, from Nottingham, studying Philosophy 

Chén Zhiyu, from Suzhou in China, studying the History of Science

 

Bristol lost a brilliant first match to fellow quarter-finalists Durham 195-185, but have since beaten Oriel of Oxford 185-150 in the play-offs and Queen's of Belfast 205-90 in the second round. They were also the same quartet as before: 

Sam Kehler, from Wolverhampton, studying Medicine

Jacob McLaughlin, from Gloucester, studying Economics and Maths

Captain: Tess Richardson, from Reading, studying Chemistry

Alejandro Ortega, from Chalfont St Peter, studying Physics and Philosophy

 

So, off we set once again then, and a false start from Newnham saw them lost five straight away; Mr McLaughlin pounced, and Bristol took a full set of bonuses on 'enclosure'. A second penalty to the Cambridge side handed the Avonsiders a second starter in a row; no bonuses was taken by them this time, but Mr Kehler then gave them a third starter, which was followed by two bonuses on cholera. The first picture round, on Freudean concepts written in their original German, gave Newnham their first positive points of the game; a full bonus set reduced their arrears to 55-15.

A quick buzz from Ms Ellis further ate into that deficit, as did two bonuses on UC civil rights cases. But Mr McLaughlin then increased it again with a starter, followed by a single bonus, and two further penalties pushed Newnham back further; Bristol collected the points for one of those starters, and, again, took one bonus from the resulting set on economics. The music round, on songs that pay tribute to other artists, got Newnham moving in the right direction again; two correct bonuses (and an unlucky miss on the third) meant they now trailed 85-45.

A second starter in a row to the Cambridge team and a single bonus on astronomy meant they were just a starter and a full bonus set behind. But, again, it was that man Mr McLaughlin who was in first again on the next starter, which was followed by two bonuses on depictions of Hercules, which took them into three figures. Another starter to Bristol and a single bonus was followed by a most unfortunate moment as, asked for a two digit number on the next starter, Ms Holloway-Strong buzzed, then realised she was wrong, and was forced to offer "One. (beat) I know, it's not a two digit number; I'm sorry!"; in times gone by, Paxo would've probably gone off on one there, but instead he just gave a slightly more apologetic than usual "No, you lose five points". To be fair, she wasn't far off; the answer, supplied by Ms Richardson, was 11. One bonus followed again. The second picture round, on paintings depicting scenes from Shakspeare comedies, also went to Bristol; two bonuses took the scores to 155-55.

Another starter to the impressive Mr McLaughlin and a full bonus set confirmed the Avonsiders' victory, meaning the rest of the show was moot, but how far could both teams get. A starter and pair of bonuses took Newnham closer to three figures, but a starter and full bonus set on US state capitals took Bristol past 200. A final flourish saw Newnham take the last two starters of the game, and three of the six bonuses that came with them deservedly took them past 100. At the gong, Bristol won 205-110.

Another good contest played in superb spirit by two very watchable teams; well played both! Well done to Bristol, another impressive performance, and very best of luck in the qualifiers! Hard luck to Newnham, who did exactly the right thing in keeping on going for it and, had some of those early buzzes gone their way, it could well have been closer; best of luck to them in the eliminators!

The stats: Mr McLaughlin was the best buzzer of the match with seven, taking his running series total to 24, while Ms Bowen was best for Newnham with three. On the bonuses, Newnham managed 13 out of 21 (with a costly five penalties) and Bristol 19 out of 33.

Next week's match: Jesus Cambridge vs U.C.L.

Only Connect’s eighteenth final was contested by the Strigiformes and the Crustaceans, all of whom have been on UC before. The latter led 4-1 after the first round, and 8-5 after the second. A better wall meant the Strigiformes took the lead 15-13 going into Missing Vowels, and they fared better there to win the show, and the title, 22-16! Congrats to them, worthy winners, and the Crustaceans too, who would’ve been worthy winners too. Thanks to all involved for another most enjoyable series; bring on the next!

Mastermind’s first semi-final was won by Michael McPartland, who led narrowly after the SS round, but comfortably after GK, with 27 points easily topping the field ahead of Ben Farren on 23; Lee Ansett and Mark Rogers completed the line-up with 21 and 19 respectively.

 

Counterpoint’s first semi-final was a good closely fought contest; Anthony Fish defeated Clare Barrow and Dave Workman to take the first place in the final.